Healing of Consiglia De Martino

On October 31, 1995, De Martino developed acute pain and a rapidly growing lump below her left collarbone in Salerno. CT scans confirmed a ruptured thoracic duct with approximately 2 liters of lymphatic fluid accumulated in her neck. Complex thoracic surgery was scheduled for November 3. Between November 2 and 3, with no medical treatment administered, the lump disappeared completely. Pre-surgery examination confirmed total resolution; surgery was cancelled. Fra Modestino Fucci had prayed at Padre Pio's tomb on her behalf.

Consiglia De Martino was a married woman with three children living in Salerno, Italy. On October 31, 1995, she began to feel acute pain in her chest, followed by the rapid growth of a large mass below her left collarbone. By the time her husband drove her to the Riuniti Hospital in Salerno, the swelling had reached the size of a grapefruit. Physicians ordered two CT scans and confirmed the diagnosis: a traumatic rupture of the thoracic duct, the largest vessel in the lymphatic system. Approximately two liters of lymphatic fluid had accumulated in her neck and chest. Complex thoracic surgery was scheduled for the morning of November 3.

While Consiglia was hospitalized, word was sent to the friary at San Giovanni Rotondo. Fra Modestino Fucci, a Capuchin friar who had known Padre Pio personally, went to pray at his tomb. Consiglia herself prayed to Padre Pio throughout her time in the hospital and reported smelling, on several occasions, the distinctive fragrance that many of Padre Pio's devotees associate with his intercession.

On November 2, she noticed a marked and sudden decrease in pain. The swelling began to diminish. By the morning of November 3, when surgeons arrived to prepare her for the operation, the pre-surgical examination revealed that the lump had disappeared entirely. X-rays confirmed: the thoracic duct rupture had resolved completely, the two liters of lymphatic fluid had been absorbed without trace, and there were no residual deposits in her neck or abdomen. Surgery was cancelled. She was discharged on November 6 without having received any treatment for the condition.

The case was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The diocesan inquiry ran from July 1996 to June 1997, with medical experts unanimously declaring the cure extraordinary and scientifically inexplicable. On April 30, 1998, the Vatican's Medical Committee — five members, voting five to zero — confirmed that the healing was scientifically inexplicable. The Theological Committee unanimously classified it as a miracle on June 22, 1998. Pope John Paul II issued the formal decree on December 21, 1998, and Padre Pio was beatified on May 2, 1999.